He possessed such self-respect that even kings would humble themselves before him. A true scholar is one who neither degrades knowledge nor permits himself to be degraded, seeking only the pleasure of Allah and the Hereafter rather than pursuing worldly gains and pleasures.
Once, the governor of Marw, accompanied by his scribe, came to his home with ink and paper and requested him to narrate a hadith. Today, if a governor were to visit us and ask for a hadith, we would consider it a great honor—something extraordinary—and encourage him in this regard. However, Ibn Al-Mubarak saw something that we did not. He turned away from the governor, holding the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in such high regard that he refused to narrate it to someone who did not seek it for the sake of Allah or had come with arrogance, accompanied by his scribe, a symbol of his authority. He did not respond to the governor. The governor repeated his request two or three times, but Ibn al-Mubarak remained silent. Eventually, the governor turned to his scribe and said, “Fold up your paper; I see that Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman believes we are unworthy of receiving hadith.”
As the governor rose to leave, Ibn al-Mubarak also stood up and accompanied him to the door. The governor, surprised, said, “Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman! You did not deem us worthy of hearing a hadith, yet you honored us by escorting us out?” Ibn Al-Mubarak replied, “I wished to humble myself before you, but I would never humble the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).”
Literature:
In addition to his immense knowledge of hadith, Ibn Al-Mubarak was a grammarian, a literary scholar, and a poet. It is said that when he departed from Mecca, he would recite:
Translation: “The hatred of life, the fear of Allah Almighty, and the sale of my soul for what is not worth it have driven me out. I weighed the eternal and the mortal to see if they were equal, and by Allah! They were not equal.”
He was informed that Ismail ibn Ulayyah (one of the Imams of Hadith) had been appointed governor. He wrote to him:
Translation: “O you who have made knowledge a trap to steal the wealth of the poor, you have devised such a trick for the world and its pleasures that it destroys religion. You yourself, after being the medicine for the insane, have become insane. Where is the evidence for your narrations about the necessity of avoiding the courts of kings? If you say that I was forced, it is not so; rather, the sheikh’s donkey has slipped in the mud.”
Translation: “Has religion been destroyed by anyone other than rulers, court scholars, and corrupt ascetics? These people graze beside a carcass whose stench is evident to those of knowledge.”
It is believed that these verses were his own, as he frequently spoke on such matters. For example, once he was asked, “Who are the lowest of people?” He replied, “Those who use religion as a means of livelihood.”
After all this, you may wonder how this mighty and blessed tree grew, yielding such abundant and diverse fruits. Its roots trace back to a garden in Khurasan, where the caretaker was a noble and virtuous Turk named Mubarak.
One day, the owner of the garden came and said to him, “Bring me a sweet pomegranate.” Mubarak went and picked one, but when the owner tasted it, it was sour. He said, “This is sour! Bring me a sweet one.” Mubarak went and picked another, but it too was sour. Frustrated, the owner shouted, “I asked for a sweet pomegranate!” Mubarak then picked a third one, but it was also sour. The owner, now furious, said, “Woe to you! Are you foolish that you cannot tell the difference between sweet and sour?” Mubarak replied, “How can I distinguish between them when I have never tasted them?”
Astonished, the owner said, “You have worked in this garden for years, yet you have never tasted its fruit?” Mubarak answered, “Indeed, for you never gave me permission to do so.”
The owner was deeply impressed by his honesty. Upon further inquiry, he realized that Mubarak had spoken the truth. Moved by his integrity, he honored him, consulted him in his affairs, and treated him with great respect.
The garden owner had a daughter who was sought after by many suitors. He asked Mubarak, “In your opinion, whom should I marry my daughter to?” Mubarak replied, “The people of ignorance marry out of passion, the Jews marry for wealth, the Christians for beauty, and this Ummah marries for religion.”
The owner was pleased with his wisdom and went to inform his wife, saying, “No one is more worthy of marrying my daughter than Mubarak.” And so, he wedded his daughter to him, and the fruit of this blessed marriage was ‘Abdullah.
If people take pride in their lineage, tracing it back to rulers, nobles, and generous ancestors, Abdullah’s lineage is rooted in honesty and righteousness. If others boast of power and governance, his pride lies in knowledge and piety. His honor stems from himself, his greatness from his deeds, and his legacy begins here—with no end in sight.
May Allah’s mercy and pleasure be upon him and upon the scholars whom He has blessed with success in both worlds, granting them honor in this life and the Hereafter, Inshallah!
